Deposing a Speaker

Update 2:17 pm: House showdown deferred. Talk is rife, however, that it might push through anyway, but without media coverage. Rep. Matias Defensor says the ruling coalition prefers a secret caucus in committee rooms, where congressmen will indicate where they stand should there be a division of the House; and that when the winner is known, they will then return to the Session Hall to formalize their choice, without having to engage in debate.

Quite a high-wire act. Until this morning, the deposing of the Speaker had an aura of inevitability not to mention, invincibility. A delay of 24 hours can give the de Venecia camp a second wind. Conversely, it can give the Palace more time to consolidate its forces. Defensor says, though, that their objective is to settle the leadership question by tomorrow at the latest. The primary consideration (see below) might actually be: can JDV muster the eighty-odd votes required, not to save his position, but to transmit the impeachment complaint to the Senate?

Sergio Apostol says the Palace is dangling appointment as ambassador to Washington or Secretary of Foreign Affairs to de Venecia (confirming previous scuttlebutt).

Rufus Rodriguez says if Nograles has the votes, they’ll join the bandwagon.

He reportedly consulted former President Estrada who summoned an opposition meeting Sunday lunchtime. But that was worth a handful of votes at best. On the other hand, the leading Palace candidate for the speakership, Rep. Nograles, didn’t bother to show up at the Lakas leaders’ Palace golf-game.

Prior to that, he’d telegraphed that the Liberal Party and a big chunk of congressional neophytes had signed on to topple de Venecia.

In its Sunday editorial, The son also rises, the Inquirer said that the apparent rebelliousness of the President’s sons was all an act.

Besides what the editorial pointed out, Mon Casiple in his blog entry Between two families traces the sore spots between the Speaker and the President:

The two protagonists–President Macapagal-Arroyo and JDV–have been dueling through proxies for some months now since the president broke her promise to step down in one year’s time from July 2005. The current stage started when the ZTE scandal broke out last year, involving JDV’s own son, Joey de Venecia. In December 2006, JDV was nearly unseated when his co-savior, Fidel Ramos, insisted on the supposed agreement in July 2005. He did a judo trick, going along with the Malacañang charter change agenda. In the process, FVR got elbowed out and was humiliated at the Lakas coalition showdown. However, the president’s men did not forget JDV’s “unreliability” and ambition for the top post. Their discontent fed into KAMPI’s own simmering grievance over its being sidelined for a long, long time from the speakership post, despite it being acknowledged as the president’s own party. Over time, the presidential (and JDV’s) argument for maintaining the rainbow coalition got fewer and fewer audience among them. Things got into a head in the last 2007 elections. The JDV camp found itself fighting for survival–not for speakership–but even for membership in the House. JDV got into a real fight with Dagupan mayor Benjie Lim for the Pangasinan’s 4th congressional seat. It was bruited later that the principal backers behind Lim included the First Gentleman and KAMPI. JDV won the fight (with FVR support) and later defended his speakership by invoking the continuity of the limping coalition. However, by that time, the trust between the coalition partners had all but disappeared. Malacañang concentrated in its hand all the pork barrel (and IRA) disbursements.

Back to Casiple: he ended his piece by saying further developments would be suggested by the results of the Palace golf game yesterday morning.

But as it turned out, Arroyo snubs Lakas golf game (this morning’s Inquirer editorial objects to the choice of gold, and the choices the various groups such as the Liberals have made, to go along with the Palace-led ouster of de Venecia). However, one source, quoting a conversation with Dato Arroyo on Saturday, said of the so-called snub,

And so, instead of a Sunday meeting, the Speaker was told he should go to the Palace on Monday, either at 10 or 11 am. That gave the Palace time to round up the “20 or 40 more,” which refers to pledges to vote against the Speaker (see Pals, foes switch to battle mode as JDV fate hangs). The Monday meeting, held at the Palace Park, was expected to take all morning.

Casiple also said that the escalating fight between de Venecia and Arroyo carries with it the risk of tearing apart the ruling coalition. This is something I tackle in my column, Aliens versus Predators.

“I can better serve my constituents if I join other political parties … I want to join a political party that I think is close to President Arroyo’s heart,” explained Evardone, who is spokesperson for the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, a group of local government executives. “Where the President is, I will be there,” he said.

Lakas has to consider if it will keep an increasingly decorative speakership.

As for de Venecia himself, Conrado de Quiros zeroes in on the problem: those still loyal to the President view him as disloyal and dangerous; those opposed to the administration can’t forgive him for killing two impeachments and giving the President a new lease on political life in 2005. An interesting tactical point comes from Joel Rocamora, as quoted in UNTV: impeachment might suddenly get a new lease on life.

The Speaker made a choice in July 2005, gambling on achieving parliamentary government by giving the President a chance to survive. FVR gambled on the same thing. The President eliminated FVR as a power in Lakas and then proceeded to cultivate the Speaker to kill impeachment efforts. The President rewarded them by using the resources of her office to try to kill Lakas. When the Speaker’s son decided to spill the beans later rather than sooner, the Speaker agonized over it and tried to save himself even if it meant he had to distance himself from the son who was trying to do the right thing, for whatever reason.

Leadership requires numbers but it also requires showing true grit; this is how politicians become statesmen. The Speaker has had repeated opportunities to finally choose the path of statesmanship but chose the low road each and every time. The simple lesson here is that if anyone is going to be held accountable for anything, it’s not the President or her family; it will be allies who, once they show some independence of mind, will be crushed.

This recent skirmish in the House of Representatives only goes to show several things: first, that when blood relatives squeal on Malacañang, one should be ready for the death of his/her political dynasty. Second, that there are no permanent allies in politics — only permanent interests. I believe that Nograles and his allies do have the numbers to finally topple JDV. But considering this man’s trapo nature, it’s just going to be another case of one set of rascals being replaced by another set of rascals. Let’s just see how much of a Malacañang lapdog he’s going to be. If the issue on charter change gets revived for the nth time in the House of Representatives under Nograles’ term as Speaker, then my theory is proven: that Nograles has been bestowed with the all-mighty Malacañang shield of power.

If you are a father, you know very well that you cannot control your sons and daughters. If you are a son or daughter, you know you cannot be controlled, 100%, at all, by your parents. For me, it was important that JDV III exposed the NBN deal.

tess, as i said, doctors have been immigrating to the u.s. since when they were first allowed to do so. filipinos have been trying to live and work abroad since the time of quezon and through all the administrations after his. gma has nothing to do with your decision to leave. it’s not fair to blame her for that. she didn’t compel you nor “allowed” you to exercise your right to go wherever you want.

ang nakikita ko lang no. 1 benefit of immigrating is being a pensiyonado at libreng health care, from retirement age onwards.

That maybe true in some countries that health care benefits starts from retirements onwards, but in some like Great Britain, Canada and other commonwealth countries, Health benefits start the day you are born..it just varies on a little before retirement, like medications for maintenance are not covered for those who are gainfully employed, but more than covered by extended health care by employers, buy for those without means still covered by government drug plans..Education is publicly funded.

But I agree that there are a lot of immigrants that are not quite successful in their careers and just hoping that their Children educated in the system will have a different future than them and been here for more than 3 decades now and Im seeing the good results…

tess, met a lot of new immigrants, young and mostly professionals, since the country had recently open its doors to independent family migrants with the quota of around 10,000 for the Philippines annually, there is a 4 to 5 years waiting list, some on top of their career successes that and mainly the reasons of their move is the uncertainties of the future, the dwindling resources, and the Poor Public services for their taxes..and of course the adventure for a new experience..few regretted the move, especially if they can’t find the job expected, but somehow too late to go back for to start all over again is even worse…

For the difference of Governance, that is just an Afterthought, and quite a few can not believe How Bad the country’s Politics as soon as they experience how it is in the Progressive and Mature North..while they were still there, most think was just normal..for they too were part of it…

Murphy’s Law is at work in the case of radio commentator Alex Adonis. Penniless and abandoned by his lawyer and employer, the former Bombo Radyo broadcaster is now languishing in jail for libel.

Adonis was convicted of libel for reporting that Davao Rep. Prospero Nograles (now Speaker)ran naked in a hotel in Manila after the womanÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s husband allegedly caught them in bed in July 2001. The story was broadcast by Bombo Radyo in General Santos City.

The Manila-based tabloid Abante Tonite picked up the reported incident, which became known as the Ã¢â‚¬Å“Burlesk KingÃ¢â‚¬Â scandal.

Nograles denied the incident. Aside from Adonis, he also sued Dan Vicente, Bombo Radyo station manager, and Abante Tonite for libel.

Adonis, who has been in media for 18 years, was a hard-hitting political commentator. He was reported to have Ã¢â‚¬Å“lambasted on air drug lords and members of crime syndicates, government offi-cials, and erring policemen.Ã¢â‚¬Â

“dito kumusta nman ang SSS at GSIS pensioners? si Garcia lang yata at kung sinong hudas ang nasa SSS ngayon ang yumayaman. yan! yan ang ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do to your country! and what they can do to their country is rob it blind!”

“Another way of naturalizing migratory behavior, which is not backed up social facts. I heard this many times before. Did it occur to you that, within the Philippines, the Ilokanos are one among those who have migrated en masse? (Others include the Cebuanos, Siquijornons, etc.) If you examine their historical and cultural circumstances, migrating elsewhere is not ingrained (natural) in their psyche, nor an emotional impulse that comes out of the blue. Declining resources, esp. land (due to rapid population growth), is what have driven thousands of Ilokanos to leave their villages. Plus the fact they have established social networks (friends and relatives) in their places of destination, which leads others to follow suit”

not backed up by data because no one has attempted to quantify that (underlying reason to migrate).

i differentiated the underlying reasons and the confirmatory reason. declining resources et al confirmed the decision to migrate

saka contrary to what you said, its ingrained in their minds to migrate. at first, the target of migration is just Manila

“Just to give you one example, Filipinos in Hawaii are dominated by Ilokanos (about 85% according to some informed estimates) since they started coming in 1906. USAÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s liberalized immigration policy in 1965 also hastened it.”

no problem with 1906. at that time its more than easy for the ‘little brown americans’ to join their ‘benevolent big white american brothers’ in the mainland.

no problem also with what happened 1965-onwards. there’s no measurement of the underlying reasons they migrated!

“Agree! GloriaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s policy for the OFW confirms the desire to migrate, but it makes it easier for them (Ilokanos and non-Ilokanos alike) now to leave. That policy lends itself to the making of a mega-social network that draws Pinoys out of RP and unnecessarily contributes to the diaspora.”

no sir. the perception that the country is hopeless under gloria confirms the decision to migrate! my friend, no OFW or only a few OFWs are aware of ‘gloria’s policy for OFWs’

“Right decision? For the individual, yes. For the nation? thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s debatable. But itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s more like the nation is killing itself, slowlyÃ¢â‚¬Â¦. for the glitter of dollars and short-run hedonism.”

colonial mentality contributed to that. it gave the lens that give glitter to ‘dollars and short-run hedonism’

anthony scalia, you have have refuted everything that’s been said by me, devils and hawaiianguy punto per punto. i’m not going to argue with you because i think we are not going anywhere with that. but, with what you have written allow me to profile you.

tess, blaming gma for your decision to migrate is like blaming your parents for not being wealthy enough so you don’t have to work hard.

hawaiianguy, the ofw services set up by the government are for the benefit of ofw’s who are working, or seeking to work, abroad. it’s mostly for their protection from rapacious recruiters and foreign employers, and to monitor their safety in the foreign location. this is part of government’s responsibility to its citizens. i don’t think they are established for the purpose of “encouraging” migration. would you rather have the government just leave these ofw’s to their own devices in an alien place?

who was that actress with whom Nograles had an affair? i heard she’s the wife of Nograles’ campaign manager? hmmm who could that be?

anyway, i don’t like Nograles, another gloria’s pet. damn! can they just all burn in hell??? so that all of Filipinos can finally be a happy nation. what a peaceful country this will be if all those corrupt jerks perish?!

Bencard: “i donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t think they are established for the purpose of Ã¢â‚¬Å“encouragingÃ¢â‚¬Â migration. would you rather have the government just leave these ofwÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s to their own devices in an alien place?”

You’re right. There’s nothing in the policy that says “encouragement,” “let’s go OFW,” etc. That’s the “fine print” (“latent function” of messages) embedded in such policy, or symbolized by POEA, CFO, etc. – which people SEE or READ.

Agree, it’s better if OFWs are guided rather than left to their own devices. But have you ever entered any of those offices and inquired how they do it?

Btw, even former SC Justice Artemio Panganiban wrote a biting piece on OFW, when he himself experienced how a govt office shabbily treated his OFW daughter.

If that can happen to a known, ranking official of the land, how much more for the ordinary OFWs? he lamented.

I think you should also check who are those rapacious recruiters. Some of them are ranking govt officials themselves, Mike Defensor will tell you more about it.

Also, pls try checking what happens to the OWWA funds, esp. during the Lebanon crisis.

my family live with our heads above water too, if that’s what you mean. if you’re just one of many who doesn’t need to go abroad to succeed, then congratulations. but that still doesn’t take away the fact, that much more than your “many,” majority of pinoys don’t feel that way. bec if what you say is true, then we won’t have the millions leaving now, will we? so your “one of many” is actually a minority.

I see that happening in many places IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve visited outside of Manila. New teachers canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t be hired, despite their civil service eligibility, because someone is Ã¢â‚¬Å“better connectedÃ¢â‚¬Â or has already pledged his yet-to-be-collected 3 months salary. So, tiis muna sila as Ã¢â‚¬Å“substituteÃ¢â‚¬Â or Ã¢â‚¬Å“casual.Ã¢â‚¬Â Visit some provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao, thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a glaring practice.

ThatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s one of the Ã¢â‚¬Å“pushÃ¢â‚¬Â factors of migration I mentioned earlier.

MurphyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Law is at work in the case of radio commentator Alex Adonis. Penniless and abandoned by his lawyer and employer, the former Bombo Radyo broadcaster is now languishing in jail for libel.

Adonis was convicted of libel for reporting that Davao Rep. Prospero Nograles (now Speaker)ran naked in a hotel in Manila after the womanÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s husband allegedly caught them in bed in July 2001. The story was broadcast by Bombo Radyo in General Santos City.

“coming from someone who argued about everything, iÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll take that as a complement. i donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t believe for one minute that you will let me get away with something unless you really think soÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ciao.”

kaya nga yun ang sinulat ko. as much as possible, hanggang makakaya ko, i won’t get in the way of someone else’s own joy.

what if i tell you i was born to a family belonging to that bottom 30%? (i am)

thanks to our parents, and by my hard work, by the grace of God, i got out of that bottom 30%. without ever being an OFW, without migrating

why? what did i sat against OFWs/migrants that made you write that way?

my point has always been one need not leave the country, either as an OFW or as an immigrant, to reach a level of economic well-being. in my own modest way i want to change the propensity of the Pinoy to believe that the grass is always greener outside the country.

tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk

“I see that happening in many places IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve visited outside of Manila. New teachers canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t be hired, despite their civil service eligibility, because someone is Ã¢â‚¬Å“better connectedÃ¢â‚¬Â or has already pledged his yet-to-be-collected 3 months salary. So, tiis muna sila as Ã¢â‚¬Å“substituteÃ¢â‚¬Â or Ã¢â‚¬Å“casual.Ã¢â‚¬Â Visit some provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao, thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a glaring practice”

“im truly disappointed. even though its in written form i can sense its tenor. how could you describe me as such? insinuating that im matapobre?”

Sorry to contradict you, I never insinuated that you are – far from it. Pls. re-read my post and others previous to it. I respect you and hold you in high ground, believe me.

As to your being rich, you said so to Tess, didn’t you?

“tiny sample lang?”

Tiny sample ba ang millions of people living in those places? It’s not yet a norm by national standard, but it is a very significant part of it. Just one important region, read what’s happening to DepEd ARMM (5 provinces in Mindanao). Do you know how many thousand teachers work there, who complain about this glaring practice? And you call that TINY?

“why? what did i sat [say] against OFWs/migrants that made you write that way?”
Ã¢â‚¬Å“my point has always been one need not leave the country, either as an OFW or as an immigrant, to reach a level of economic well-beingÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ i want to change the propensity of the Pinoy to believe that the grass is always greener outside the country..Ã¢â‚¬Â

Well, that’s my reading – whether you like it or not. Devils and Bert may have noticed that, too. Since you started writing about OFW/migrants, I sense your hostility to this category of pinoys. As if they lack Filipino-ness for mindlessly “packing their bags,” leaving their country (“atat na atat mag migrate”) instead of staking it out like what you are doing.

Why canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t you admit difference? Where you see green grass at home, they may find brown grass. Where you create or discover lots of opportunities, they couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t or see scarcity and hardships. No, you canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t change that propensity, now imbedded in the diaspora. But the govt could, because it would take massive resources to reverse or reduce it after setting that diaspora in motion.

“what if i tell you i was born to a family belonging to that bottom 30%? (i am)”

Welcome to the club! Tell you frankly, I belong to the bottom 10%. My parents were poor, landless peasants. They had to migrate from north to south in RP to change their lot, they failed. But I somehow rose above them, got an education on my own effort, unfortunately by migrating.

Come on, my friend! I don’t even have net worth here. I own no property except my clothes, books, and kitchen utensils. I rent my apartment, take the bus. Well, if you multiply my measly earnings by 40, I beat an ordinary worker in RP by a few fold (probably you still earn much more than I do, being a successful entrepreneur).

thanks to our parents, and by my hard work, by the grace of God, i got out of that bottom 30%. without ever being an OFW, without migrating

the bottomline anthony, life is not fair. opportunities are not distributed evenly. i can’t blame ofws for leaving the country in search of livelihood, for that is basic to life and living. what i don’t buy is leaving the country in desperation, because for me, the solution is to stay and let those crappy recycled leaders do the departing instead. systemic as the problems may be, we derive much of the source of complications from these critters–no national vision, all pocket mission.

“Sorry to contradict you, I never insinuated that you are – far from it. Pls. re-read my post and others previous to it. I respect you and hold you in high ground, believe me.”

sorry to contradict you, my friend! your generous use of the words “envy me? for being in the top 10%? social pyramid? lucky? perspective on people who migrate/become OFWs? not knowing how to live like the bottom 30%?’ say otherwise!

pero since authorial intent was disclosed, cge, even though the intent was a lot different from the resulting expression, i’ll presume good faith

“As to your being rich, you said so to Tess, didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t you?”

i said ‘at best upper middle’

“Tiny sample ba ang millions of people living in those places? ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s not yet a norm by national standard, but it is a very significant part of it. Just one important region, read whatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s happening to DepEd ARMM (5 provinces in Mindanao). Do you know how many thousand teachers work there, who complain about this glaring practice? And you call that TINY?”

the ‘tiny’ modifies the SWS/Pulse Asia survey, taking issue with their tendency to project a sample as representative of the majority.

i wasn’t calling your sample ‘tiny’. im taking issue again with your tendency to assume that your sample is the norm. for all i know, you’re just looking for something to confirm your suspicions.

“Well, thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s my reading – whether you like it or not.”

well i don’t like it one bit!!!

your reading? my goodness! you don’t just arrive at a ‘reading’ from out of the blue! you read a text first! then you arrive at a ‘reading’!

i dare you to re-post all my comments that ‘confirm’ your ‘reading’!

“Since you started writing about OFW/migrants, I sense your hostility to this category of pinoys. As if they lack Filipino-ness for mindlessly Ã¢â‚¬Å“packing their bags,Ã¢â‚¬Â leaving their country (Ã¢â‚¬Âatat na atat mag migrateÃ¢â‚¬Â) instead of staking it out like what you are doing”

then focus the discussion on the alleged ‘lack of filipino-ness’ of migrants! and no longer stray into unnecessary discussions of class!

“Why canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t you admit difference?”

another attempt to justify the migration decision

i already admitted several differences – x 40, Silicon Valley, Wall Street. saka just the thought of being a citizen of the US of A, of residing there! Access to Hollywood, live NBA games, scholarships to Ivy League schools, the White House, etc.

“Where you see green grass at home, they may find brown grass. Where you create or discover lots of opportunities, they couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t or see scarcity and hardships. No, you canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t change that propensity, now imbedded in the diaspora. But the govt could, because it would take massive resources to reverse or reduce it after setting that diaspora in motion.”

same old problem of Pinoys – a default mode to migrate, blaming government for omissions, further confirming the default mode. thats the underlying reason for the propensity! kaya nga ‘atat na atat’ eh, predisposed na to migrate. they just don’t want to consider the big possibility that grass is ‘browner’ in the US and greener here!

“the bottomline anthony, life is not fair. opportunities are not distributed evenly. i canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t blame ofws for leaving the country in search of livelihood, for that is basic to life and living. what i donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t buy is leaving the country in desperation, because for me, the solution is to stay and let those crappy recycled leaders do the departing instead. systemic as the problems may be, we derive much of the source of complications from these crittersÃ¢â‚¬â€œno national vision, all pocket mission”

agreed. but i feel for those who leave and find out that life also isn’t fair in first world countries!

“my family live with our heads above water too, if thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s what you mean. if youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re just one of many who doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t need to go abroad to succeed, then congratulations. but that still doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t take away the fact, that much more than your Ã¢â‚¬Å“many,Ã¢â‚¬Â majority of pinoys donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t feel that way. bec if what you say is true, then we wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have the millions leaving now, will we? so your Ã¢â‚¬Å“one of manyÃ¢â‚¬Â is actually a minority.”

you want to know why? its because of the same old same old – colonial mentality. the predisposition to migrate. deciding purely by emotions then confirming the decision using reason. the erroneous belief that no amount of a level of success can be achieved here.

in short, a good many of the ‘millions’ who are leaving now simply did not make an attempt at the ‘good life’ here

scalia, what makes you so sure i decided first and then looked for justifications later? can you look into my soul?

anyway something related manolo wrote in a previous post

Notice that until the OFW phenomenon, the last time our professional classes could achieve stability: home, vehicle, schooling for kids, was the 50s and 60s when weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢d recovered from the war. increasingly, today, people born into the middle class can only stay in the middle class, if their parents leave them an inheritance or if they go abroad; otherwise, they face a decline in living standards. even the wealthy, to a certain extent, are facing this so theyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re moving abroad, too. the poor have lost access to social mobilty locally, i think itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s safe to say, unless they take the shortcut and work abroad.

all these factors intensify corruption. if youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re poor, you will face dilemmas aplenty, to sell your soul or body to get the permits and money needed to travel and keep working abroad; if youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re middle class, you must break rules and cut corners to maintain your standard of living; the wealthy, facing competition from home and abroad, must deal dirtier and dirtier with a political class that finds itself devoid of prestige, lacking in the ability to inspire support, and which has to turn to more and more repugnant means to stay in power.

De Venecia said he would not testify against Arroyo, contrary to what he said in his valedictory address at the House on Feb. 4 that he would tell all he knows about irregularities involving the First Family, including attempts to manipulate the results of the 2004 presidential elections.

Malacanang said over the weekend that there were backdoor talks to reconcile De Venecia and Arroyo. (GMANews.net)

“…Malacanang said over the weekend that there were backdoor talks to reconcile De Venecia and Arroyo. (GMANews.net)…”

—

As predicted … just like clockwork, I only wondered why Malacanang took too long.

The question is if JDV would compromise again and let himself be hoodwinked once more because of perks, priviledge, money and promises. I’m not betting heavy on JDV to change his habits of … compromise, compromise, compromise, until there’s no principle left.